Press Releases

Wayland Baptist University honors Farwell student

Wayland honoring centennial graduate from each campus as scholars

PLAINVIEW – In celebration of its Centennial from August 2008 through August 2009, Wayland Baptist University is honoring 20 graduating students for their academic achievement, involvement and character in keeping with the WBU mission.

Dubbed Centennial Scholars, the students represent each of Wayland’s 12 external campuses and each of the eight academic schools within the Plainview campus. 

The Clovis campus selected Chase Hardage as their honoree, slated to graduate on Aug. 29, 2008. A native of Farwell, Hardage is earning the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education degree in business administration. He has worked in the family business and wants to work in management, marketing or other business fields in the Austin area.

“I truly feel that at the time in my life when I decided to return to school and finish my degree, WBU was a gracious blessing that I am so thankful for. The atmosphere was fantastic; the staff and professors were all wonderful and supportive. I have no doubts that my time at WBU will help and influence me in great ways, both because of my further education and knowledge as well as my renewed faith,” said Hardage, who is the nephew of longtime WBU administrator the late Dr. Bill Hardage.

He is a member of Farwell Baptist Church and volunteers with the Texico, N.M., Cemetery Committee. In their nomination, WBU officials spoke of his high character.

“Chase Hardage is a young man of integrity. He’s an excellent scholar, a hard worker, and someone with a wide variety of life experiences. He’s done a little bit of everything, but with integrity, determination, and style,” said Dr. Gary Mitchell, executive director/campus dean. “He epitomizes a lot of our non-traditional students at the external campuses and especially so in his attitude.” 

The executive directors/campus deans at each external location and academic deans in Plainview nominated their scholars based on the recommendation of faculty and staff and provided testimony as to why their students were deserving of the honor. The students will receive special honors at their graduation ceremonies, all of which fall during the centennial year.

The remaining Centennial Scholars are as follows, listed by campus: Charlie Lopez, Albuquerque, N.M.; Joe Callahan, Altus, Okla.; Gary Hamilton, Amarillo, Texas; Scott Bleeker, Anchorage, Alaska; Chase Hardage, Clovis, N.M.; George Mathisen, Fairbanks, Alaska; Thomas Cayetano, Hawaii; Mori Bell, Lubbock, Texas; Charles Kohlhase, Phoenix; Ashley Pyeatt, Bonnie Jo Bagwell, Molly Flowers, Tim Barnes, Jenny Beth Alford, Jonathan Carey, Joshua Allen and Matthew Johnston, Plainview, Texas; Megan Hardin, San Antonio; Sharon Burks, Sierra Vista, Ariz., and Donna Johnson, Wichita Falls, Texas.

USDA declares 31 counties as disasters due to drought

Albuquerque, NM – State Executive Director for the New Mexico Farm Service Agency, Rick Lopez, today expressed his appreciation for the decision to designate 31 counties in New Mexico a disaster due to drought.

"Our farmers and Ranchers in New Mexico have been enduring a tough year in most parts of the State. This drought, which began late last year, has put an extreme burden on livestock producers to get feed for their cattle. Our farmers are struggling to get a harvest on several crops," stated Lopez.

The counties declared a disaster are:

Bernalillo, Catron, chaves, Colfax, Curry, De Baca, Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Guadalupe, Harding, Hildalgo, Lea, Lincoln, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Quay, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance, Union, Valencia.

Farm operators in Cibola and Los Alamos counties in New Mexico also qualify for natural disaster benefits because their counties are contiguous.

All counties Listed above were designated natural disaster areas on July 39, 2008, making all qualifies farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest (EM) loans from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of program, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

Reconstruction of N.M. 206 to begin Monday, August 4

The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) will begin to reconstruct N.M. 206 south of Portales, Monday, August 4.  The project will start at mile marker 67 near Dora and work north to mile marker 82.49 near Portales.
 
Project SP-2-08 (365), Control Number 88044, on N.M. 206 is a 15.49 mile long highway project that will cost approximately $4.5 million.  The project consists of roadway rehabilitation (processing, placing & compacting existing pavement with overlay), earthwork (borrow, sub-excavation), traffic control, pavement markings, and miscellaneous construction.  It is anticipated construction will last approximately 3 to 4 months.
 
The New Mexico Department of Transportation opened bids on Friday, March 21 on this section of N.M. 206 to correct the failed pavement rehabilitation project that was completed in 2007.  James Hamilton Construction of Silver City is the apparent low bidder to reconstruct and improve the highway south of Portales. 
 
The Department of Transportation is also pleased to announce that it will be allocating funds this fall to begin, engineering design for the U.S. 70 downtown Portales project. 
 
Anyone with questions or comments regarding this project may contact Pat Garcia, Portales Project Manager for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, at (575) 356-0048. 
 
For questions or comments on the press release please contact Manon Arnett, Public Information Officer for the New Mexico Department of Transportation District Two, at 575-637-7200.

Town hall meeting scheduled regarding Hull Street Overpass

The City of Clovis will hold a Town Hall meeting at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, August 5th, 2008, in the Clovis City Hall Assembly Room, 321 Connelly Street, Clovis to address questions and concerns relating to the July 29th, 2008 closure of the Hull Street Overpass and to outline a course of action regarding the repairs to the structure. 

Should you have any questions or comments, please contact the City Manager’s Office at 575-769-7828.

Monday crash ends in fatality

This morning on Monday, 08/04/2008 at approximately 6:48 AM officers of the Clovis Police Department and Clovis Fire Department Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to 3400 East Mabry Drive near the Bender Chrysler Auto Dealership on US Highway 60/84 in Clovis in reference to a multiple motor vehicle crash with injuries with a victim driver needing to be extricated. 

Preliminary investigation has revealed that a white in color 2005 GMC pickup belonging to Panhandle Fire Protection driven by 26 year-old employee Donnie Burris of Amarillo, Texas along with a passenger, headed west bound on East Mabry Drive, about 700 to 800 feet east of the Bender Chrysler Auto Dealership at Humphrey Road, drifted south over lanes and struck the rear of a dirt hauler trailer of a Curry County owned semi-truck that was headed east on Mabry Drive at the time. The third vehicle involved was a pickup that had just turned east off of Humphrey Road and tried to avoid the crash between the white GMC pickup driven by Donnie Burris and the Curry County semi-truck, but was also struck in the left rear by the white GMC pickup driven by Donnie Burris after the impact with the Curry County semi-truck trailer. The white 2005 GMC pickup then came to rest on its side. The passenger of the white 2005 GMC pickup was able to get out of the vehicle, but driver Donnie Burris had to be extricated from the rolled over pickup by Clovis Fire Department rescue personnel.     

Due to the driver Donnie Burris injuries, an Aero Care Air Ambulance Helicopter was dispatched immediately to the scene of the crash on East Mabry Drive to transport Mr. Burris to a trauma care hospital in Lubbock, Texas upon his extrication from the vehicle.     

The 26 year-old driver Donnie Burris of the white 2005 GMC pickup died of his injuries incurred in the crash while being transported by Aero Care Air Ambulance to a Lubbock trauma care hospital. Next of kin of Mr. Donnie Burris were notified of his death. 

The passenger of the white 2005 GMC pickup sustained only minor injury in the crash and the drivers of the other vehicles involved in the crashes escaped injury in the crashes.   

The crash is still under investigation by the Clovis Police Department’s Traffic Division.

Clovis Airport receives grant for new taxi-way

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Pete Domenici announced today that the city of Clovis has received a $637,200 grant from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to construct a new taxiway at Clovis Municipal Airport.  

            Funds were awarded through the DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and will allow Clovis to construct a new taxiway to support operations at its local airport.  

            “The growing Clovis area needs an airport that is commensurate with its needs.  I am pleased the FAA has provided funds that will allow the city to construct an additional taxiway at the municipal airport,” said Domenici, who is a member of the Senate subcommittee that deals with federal transportation funding.  

            Domenici also said that the city of Lordsburg received $70,809 and the town of Carrizozo received $63,161 in FAA funds to support master development plans at their respective airports. 

            Domenici is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee that in July approved the FY2009 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Bill which contains $125 million to support Essential Air Service (EAS)—the federal program that helps communities in outlying areas maintain commercial air service.  New Mexico is expected to receive $2.4 million this year in EAS funding to support air service to Clovis, as well as Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Hobbs and Silver City and the nearby communities of Hurley and Deming.  

Clovis schools to get $2 million for renovations

Clovis Municipal School District will get $2 million in state funds for the design costs of renovating Marshall Junior High and James Bickley, Lockwood and Bella Vista elementary schools, Senator Ingle, along with Representatives Campos and Crook announced today.

The Public School Capital Outlay Council voted to award the funds to the school district after finding the district met the standards of a priority-based funding formula.

The state awarded a total of $93.4 million in capital outlay funds to 23 projects in 15 school districts. †New Mexico funds public school capital outlay by issuing bonds on severance tax revenue related to oil and gas extraction.

Under this process, all districts are eligible for state funds, but voters must approve property taxes to raise a matching amount. The level of the match varies with each school district. The matching formula takes into consideration the assessed value of properties in the district, property tax rates and other factors that affect the school districtís ability to pay for new construction.

An additional $15.7 million was reserved for possible future awards to four projects in three districts, $7.1 million was awarded to 65 charter and 10 public schools in 22 districts for lease payment assistance, $1.7 million was awarded to four districts for charter school construction, and $2.2 million was awarded to eight projects in six districts for demolition of abandoned facilities.† Total state funds awarded this year to school districts for facility needs was $120.1 million.

The Public School Capital Outlay Council includes the directors of the Legislative Finance Committee, Legislative Education Study Committee, Legislative Council Service and Construction Industries Division; a representative from the governorís office; and the secretaries of the Department of Finance and Administration and Public Education Department. Other members of the committee are representatives from the New Mexico School Boards Association and the Public Education Commission.

Incident Type: DWI Sobriety Check Point Scheduled For Saturday Night, August 02, 2008 in Clovis

Contact Person: Sgt. Robert Denney, 575-763-9444

On Saturday, 8/02/2008, from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM, Officers of the Clovis Police Department will be conducting a DWI Sobriety Check Point somewhere within the City of Clovis. Officers will be specifically targeting drunk drivers. The ODWI Grant makes this possible from Safer New Mexico Now.

The Clovis Police Department would like to remind you that Law Enforcement Officers throughout New Mexico will be out in force to make sure that drunk drivers don’t cause tragedy on the roads this summer. Remember, Sobriety Checkpoints are everywhere and if You Drink, You Drive, You Lose!

Hull Street Overpass temporary closure

The Hull Street Overpass will be closed temporarily in order to undergo a refurbishment of the existing structure.

The City of Clovis invited New Mexico State Bridge Engineer Mr. Ray Trujillo to examine the bridge following a report received from BNSF expressing concern about the condition of the overpass.  The results of Mr. Trujillo’s research were outlined in a letter to the City dated July 29th, 2008. 

The structure was built in 1962 and has undergone periodic maintenance since that time.  The normal life expectancy of similar structures is forty to fifty years.

“Mr. Trujillo’s letter recommended the closure of the Hull Street Overpass and the removal of the spans over the railroad tracks”, Clovis City Manager Mr. Joe Thomas advised Wednesday.  “As a result of his recommendation the City of Clovis will close the Hull Street Overpass in order to refurbish the bridge as soon as possible”.

Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the Clovis City Manager’s Office at (575) 769-7828.

Bingaman endorses New Mexican's nomination to national cattleman's board

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today wrote to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in support of the nomination of  Wesley L. Grau of Grady to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.

In a letter to USDA Secretary Edward Schafer, Bingaman said Grau’s educational and ranching background make him an ideal candidate to serve on the 104-member cattleman’s board, which works to expand foreign and domestic markets and uses for beef.

“I believe Mr. Grau has the background and qualifications necessary to serve as a member of the Cattleman’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.  He holds a Bachelors of Science in Ag Economics and a minor in Animal Science.  He has extensive experience in the areas of animal health and immunity, including genetic and DNA testing.  He is an experienced seed stock producer, and as the owner of a cattle operation for 47 years, has had a considerable impact of beef produced in the Southwest.  He was honored as Marketer of the Year by the state department of agriculture.  He has also served as the president of his local school board and as a member of the New Mexico State Legislature, where he was a member of the Agriculture Committee,” the letter states.

        Representation on the board is based on the number of cattle in each state.  Importer representation is based on volume of cattle, beef and beef products imported.  Those states producing too few cattle to be represented alone are grouped into units.

        The USDA Secretary will make a final decision later this year.